Generalizing Parabolic Subsets from Involutorial

Automorphisms
Samuel Ivy, Ph.D
Department of Mathematics
United States Military Academy
West Point, NY 10996

2016 SACNAS Conference

October 14, 2016

Outline

Motivation

Preliminaries
Definitions
Symmetric Spaces Representation
I -Poset

Results: Parabolic Subsets

Motivation
I

Cartan studied symmetric spaces in the context of Riemannian

manifolds & Lie groups

Investigating representations of symmetric spaces involves the

orbits of parabolic subgroups acting on these spaces

Fundamental structure encoded on root system

Calculations on symmetric spaces can be translated to that of

the associated root system.

Symmetric Spaces
Definition
Let G be a reductive algebraic group over a field k (char k 6= 2)
and Aut(G) be an involution (i.e. 2 = id). Then
H = {g G | (g ) = g } (fixed point group of G )

Q = {g (g )1 | g G }

(reductive symmetric space of G )

Note Q
= G /H.

Definition
Denote the k-rational points of G and H as Gk and Hk , resp.
Then Gk /Hk is called the symmetric k-variety.

Definition
Let T G be a torus.

1. T is called -stable if (T ) = T , -split if (t) = t 1 and

-fixed if (t) = t for all t T .

2. T is k-split if all elements of T can be diagonalized over k.

Further, T = T+ T where T+ = (T H) (-stable component)

and T = x T | (x) = x 1 (-split component).

The Representaiton
Helminck and Wang describes the Pk action on Gk /Hk (or double
cosets Pk \Gk /Hk ) as the following.
Note: The Weyl group of T in Gk is denoted as WGk (T ).

Theorem ([HW93])
Let {Ti | i I } be the representatives of Hk -conjugacy classes of
-stable maximal k-split tori in G . Then
[
Pk \Gk /Hk
WGk (Ti )\WHk (Ti ).
=
iI

To classify Pk \Gk /Hk , we determine I by classifying the Hk

conjugacy classes of -stable maximal k-split tori.

Example
Let G = SL(2, C) and (g ) = (g T )1 .



a b

2
2
H=G
=
: a + b = 1 = SO(2, C)
b a
n
o
Q
gg T : g G [ Symmetric matrices with det=1]
= G /H =



c
0
?
Two H-conjugacy classes: T =
:c C
and H
0 c 1
Let P be the set of upper triangular matrices of determinant 1.
P\G /H
=

[
iI

WG (Ti )/WH (Ti ).

Example Continued

Thus,


 

1 0
0 1
WG (T ) =
,
= WH (T )
0 1
1 0

 

1 0
0 i
WG (H) =
,
0 1
i 0

P\G /H
= WG (T )/WH (T ) WG (H)/WH (H) .
{z
} |
{z
}
|
1 orbit
2 orbits
For k = R, GR = SL(2, R).
T is (, R)-split and H is not R-split.
So when considering
PR \GR /HR
=

[
iI

WGk (Ti )/WHk (Ti ) =



1 0
0 1

I Poset

Each node represents the Hk -conjugacy classes of -stable

maximal k-split tori.

I Poset

with Ti maximal (, k)-split

Ti with Ti maximal (, k)-split tori

I Poset

with Ti maximal (, k)-split

++
Ti with
Ti withTT
maximal in Hkin Hk
i i maximal

I Poset

Ti with Ti maximal (, k)-spli

dim of Ti decreases
dim of Ti+ increases

Ti with Ti+ maximal in Hk

Pk \Gk /Hk Modification

Theorem ([HW93])
Let K be the fixed point group of (Cartan involution) and H the
k-open subgroup of the fixed point group of . Let
H + = (H K ) . Then
[
Pk \Gk /Hk
WGk (Ai )\WH + (Ai )
= Pk \Gk /Hk+
=
iI

where {Ai | i I } are the representatives of Hk+ -conjugacy classes

of (, )-stable maximal k-split tori of G .

Weyl Group Connection

Let a be a (, )-stable maximal k-split torus.

Proposition ([Hel91])
0
0
, . Let w , w , w 0 ,
Assume a1 , a2 A,
1
2
1
k and a1 , a2 A
w20 W (a) be the ai -standard and a0i -standard involutions,
respectively (for i = 1, 2). Then we have the following
correspondences:

1. a1 and a2 are Hk+ -conjugate w1 and w2 are

W (a, Hk+ )-conjugate.
2. a01 and a02 are H-conjugate w1 and w2 are
W (a, H)-conjugate.

Root System Notation

Note: We can study involutions and in W (a) by considering
their action on root systems.
Let be a root system of the maximal torus.
0 () = { | () = 0}

0 (, ) = { | () () () = 0}
= /0 () = (a)

, = /0 (, )
(a, a
)

= (a)

[projections to 1-eigenspace for ]

[projections to 1-eigenspace for & ]

(a
)

= ,

Different involutions will produce different systems.

Corresponding Weyl Group

Consider the following Weyl group notation.

W0 () = W (0 ()) W ()

W0 (, ) = W (0 (, )) = {w W () | w (0 (, )) = 0 (, )}
W1 (, ) = {w W () | w (X0 (, )) = X0 (, )}
W = { (w ) | w W1 ()}

W , = {, (w ) | w W1 (, )}

W (a, a
) = W ((a) (a ))

Note: and , are the natural projection maps onto /0 ()

and /0 (, ).

Parabolic Subsets
Conjugacy classes of involutions w W (a) with
E (w , 1) E (, 1) determine subsets of a basis 1 0 (w ).

Lemma
Let be irreducible and w W an involution. Then 0 (w ) is of
type r A1 + X` where either X` = or one of B` (` 1),
C` (` 1), D2` (` 1), E7 , E8 , F4 , or G2 . Here,
r A1 = A1 + A1 + + A1 (r times).
W denote the set of all W -conjugacy classes of involutions in W .
By defining an order > on W then for [w1 ], [w2 ] W
[w1 ] > [w2 ] if and only if E (w1 , 1) E (w2 , 1)
We will call these posets L((w )).

Definition
Let be a (, )-basis of . Then the sextuple
(X , , 0 (), 0 (), , ) is called the (, )-index where
= id w0 () and = id w0 ().
I

From the (, )-index, we can obtain information on both the

- and -indices (and vice-versa)

171 isomorphy classes of (, ) that can be represented by

(, )-diagrams

(, )-Index
Example
For A4`+1 , let 0 () be of type r A1 and 0 () =
1

2`

Thus, the (, )-diagram would be:

`1

`1
`

Results: Involution Indices

Proposition (S. Ivy)
Let be irreducible and Aut() an involution. If 0 ()
is of type r A1 + Y` and Y` 6= and irreducible then Y`
determines the existence of a diagram automorphism.

Results: Involution Indices

Proposition (S. Ivy)
Let be irreducible and Aut() an involution. If 0 ()
is of type r A1 + Y` and Y` 6= and irreducible then Y`
determines the existence of a diagram automorphism.

Theorem (S. Ivy)

Let 1 and 2 be - and ()-bases, respective. Let and
() be defined as above. If is of type A` , D2`+1 and E6 , then
= id if and only if () 6= id.

Results: Involution Indices

Proposition (S. Ivy)
Let be irreducible and Aut() an involution. If 0 ()
is of type r A1 + Y` and Y` 6= and irreducible then Y`
determines the existence of a diagram automorphism.

Theorem (S. Ivy)

Let 1 and 2 be - and ()-bases, respective. Let and
() be defined as above. If is of type A` , D2`+1 and E6 , then
= id if and only if () 6= id.

Remark
If Y` is of type B` , C` , E7 , E8 , F2 and G2 , then = () = id.
The I -posets have been determined for this case.

Example
Consider the (, )-diagram of type A2`,2`1
4`1 (IIIb , II , 0 )
`1

Then the restricted root systems relative to and are

:

`1

2`1

2`

The action of and on these restricted root systems.

| :

`1

| :

`1

Example
Consider the (, )-diagram of type A2`,2`1
4`1 (IIIb , II , 0 )
`1

Then the restricted root systems relative to and are

1

`1

2`1

The action of and on these restricted root systems.

1

| :

`1

| :

`1

2`

Future Goals
I

Calculate Weyl group elements for these parabolic subsets

Continue building computer algebra package

Can this be extended to fields k = Qp , Fp ?

Produce an algorithm illustrating the transition from the I

lattice to the lattice representing the quotient of Weyl groups.
This provides a combinatorial argument to |Pk \Gk /Hk |.

References
A.G. Helminck.
Tori invariant under an involutorial automorphism I.
Advances in Mathematics, (85):138, 1991.
A.G. Helminck and S. P Wang.
On rationality properties of involutions of reductive groups.
Advances in Mathematics, pages 2697, 1993.
Toshihiko Matsuki.
The orbtis of affine symmetric spaces under the action of minimal
parabolic subgroups.
Journal of Mathematical Society of Japan, 31(2):331357, 1979.
Toshio Oshima and Jiro Sekiguchi.
The restricted root system of a semisimple symmetric pair.
Advanced Studies in Pure Mathematics, 4:433497, 1984.
Ichiro Satake.
Classification Theory of Semi-simple Algebraic Groups.
Marcel Dekker, 1971.

QUESTIONS???